As the potential UA students were getting back to the academy after the exam, it was alarming to see a number of blank looks on a multitude of faces. This could be attributed to these people knowing they failed, but it was unusual seeing an entire bus composed entirely of these expressions. Surely not every single one of the examinees in Site B failed… right?
The only participant that stepped down from that bus with a normal look on his face was a lean boy of average height. What really stood out about him, aside from his expression, was the top of the line suit he wore. It was quite unusual seeing it among a crowd of people wearing clothes that allowed for easier movement. What could be seen on his face, instead of the dull expressionlessness of his busmates, was embarrassment. Eyes cast downwards, hands fidgety, and face red.
As the last group arrived from their test site, Present Mic took a place ahead of all the groups. He turned to all of the participants of the life changing exam. His head swiveled as his body stayed in place, almost as if he were looking for something. It stopped as his eyes landed on the group from Site B. Present Mic searched the students there with his eyes, focusing on a boy toward the back. The fedora the boy wore was tipped forward, sliding down his head, but he didn't seem to notice.
Present Mic finally smiled widely towards the large crowd. "WELL THEN, EVERYBODY, THAT CONCLUDES THIS EXAM." He yelled, voice shaking the test-takers down to the bone. As this was heard, the peoples' expressions shifted. The vast majority became downtrodden, recognizing the impossibility of getting accepted into the elite school for heroes. Some were nervous, feeling as if they had done well, but unsure of their chances for enrollment. A small group of people exhibited some level of confidence in their chances. Finally, just a few people showed supreme confidence in themselves, one blonde, red-eyed boy in particular showed off a cocky smirk that made his face seem very inviting to the nearby fists.
Things were different for those from Site B. They had only just recovered from the shock of their exam, taking their brain off autopilot, and finally registering the world around them once more. Most were on the verge of crying, while others had already foregone their dignity, openly weeping. However, the same oddity that was mentioned before, was again differing from those around him. As opposed to the depressed expressions of those around him, he had developed a glimmer of determination in his eyes.
He began to make his way forward, subtly pushing grieving people aside using his quirk. Just as he reached the front of the crowd, hand raised and mouth ready to speak, Present Mic spoke once again.
"DUE TO SOME PECULIARITIES IN SITE B, I'D LIKE TO ASK ALL OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THAT AREA OF THE EXAM TO STAY. I'M SURE YOU ARE ALL CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED IN YOUR PART OF THE EXAM. WE WILL CLEAR UP ANY PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW." Yelled Present Mic in his booming voice. While his words caused confusion for most, those from Site B dried their tears and looked up in hope.
As the other groups left, shooting weird looks at those from Site B in the process, Present Mic stepped in front of the unfortunate group of teenagers. "ALRIGHT, LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!" He shouted, gesturing oddly at them.
However, before he could get another word in, someone else spoke up. "Ex-excuse me," began the boy wearing the suit. His face was red, and he was looking around nervously at the others. "Umm... I just want to say I'm sorry about defeating all the robots before anyone could do anything. Ireallywasn'tthinkingandjustwantedtodomybestanddidn'tthinkaboutanyoneelseandnowIfeelterribleandIdidn'tmeantoIswear!" He stammered out all in one short breath. The poor boy looked to be just holding back his tears.
Present Mic couldn't believe it, the boy was apologizing for acing the exam. He knew that if he were the one to take out every single robot there, including the zero pointer, he would be bragging about for weeks on end, maybe even for the rest of his life. It's not like that record will ever be beaten, can ever be beaten. In what way does this kid think for him to be sorry about the way he performed in that test?
After the shock wore off, Present Mic spoke once again, "NOT TO WORRY MR. MIDORIYA, YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOURSELF FOR ACCOMPLISHING SUCH A FEAT." The words surprised Izuku, causing him to look up in shock. Then, he smiled at the praise from the pro-hero, wiping away the tears that had started to form.
"IN FACT, YOUR ACTIONS MAY EVEN GIVE THESE ASPIRING HEROES A BETTER CHANCE AT PASSING THE TEST." These words really caused Izuku to breathe a sigh of relief. Even though he had been happy at the praise from Present Mic, he was still worried about everyone else, and if he had taken away their chance to become a hero. If he had done that to someone else, he wasn't sure how he would live with himself, much less if he had done it to an entire group of people. Knowing that he might enable some others to achieve their dreams made him gave him an unbridled sense of satisfaction.
"NOW, THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WILL BE PERSONALLY ASSESSED BY ONE OF THE STAFF AT UA." Yelled Present Mic, thinking about the 26,000 robots they had prepared for this exam, and how they were all destroyed. Of course, if he had just asked, Izuku could have rebuilt them for him, but he didn't know that. "THAT IS, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, EXCEPT FOR YOUNG MIDORIYA." He exclaimed, clearing up any confusion that Izuku might have had.
Izuku instinctively moved to say that that was unfair, but stopped himself when he really thought about the situation. After all, the only reason this was happening was because he was the only person to actually get any points in the exam.
Izuku, of course, stayed around even as the test started, just to make sure no one had any less of a chance to enter UA. He acknowledged that this test seemed much more fair than the original test, but he just wanted to be sure.
This test involved 11 of the UA staff. One person would go in to have a one on one ability assessment with a random member of the staff. Their score would range from 1-100 on a variety of different topics. Izuku wasn't exactly sure what those topics were, but he figured that they were somewhere along the lines of 'power', 'usefulness', and 'versatility'. Even though this is all conjecture from Izuku, he was still pretty confident in his thoughts. Not that those three topics were all that would be assessed, he just thinks that they are very important.
Each exam participant only spent about two minutes being assessed. It seemed short, but given the fact that there are over 300 participants, it would still take around an hour for everyone to finish.
When the third group of people finished their assessment, and were much happier with this test, Izuku decided to go home. He didn't want to worry his mom by coming home late.
On his way out of the UA grounds, Izuku noticed a skinny man with a long neck.While the neck was unusual, it was not what had caught his attention. Instead, it was the chest of the man. It wasn't noticeable to anyone else, but with Mind's Eye, he could see the large cavity that was there.
What was more concerning, was what was just underneath that cavity. It was obvious now that he looked. The man's insides were a mess. An entire kidney was missing, only a tiny part of his stomach wasn't destroyed, not that it was functional. Finally, nearly a fourth of his left lung was gone. It was a miracle that the man was even alive. What was even more amazing was the fact that he could even stand on his feet. It shook Izuku to the core, that someone who was definitely enduring excruciating pain, was just watching over the UA entrance exams.
Izuku tentatively approached the man, noticing his sharp, angular features, and unhealthy complexion. The man had noticed him by now, looking to be mentally assessing the boy in front of him. As Izuku stopped in front of him, Izuku asked, "Sir, how are you still alive?"
Right as he said it, he regretted it. He must sound insane. Izuku started to fumble over his apology as the man looked at him in shock.
Toshinori knew what the boy, Midoriya, was talking about. It's hard not to be aware of the fact that you're missing an organ here or there. He was just shocked that Midoriya knew about it.
"How do you know about that?" He asked, quite calmly. Toshinori impressed himself with his ability to say that as calmly as he did.
"O-Oh, it's something I can do with my quirk." Answered Izuku, slightly more calm now that he was aware that the man wasn't currently dying.
"Anyway, I'm still alive right now thanks to A LOT of trips to recovery girl." Said Toshinori.
"You know Recovery Girl!?" Asked Izuku, distracted by the mention of the pro-hero.
Toshinori chuckled at the boys enthusiasm. "Of course I know her, we both work here, who knows, you might even see me from time to time during the school year."
Izuku looked around shyly, "Haha, yeah, well, that's assuming that I got in." He said, making Toshinori stare at him incredulously.
"What are you talking about, of course you got in! In fact, It's unlikely that anyone will ever beat your score. EVER!" yelled Toshinori with passion.
Izuku looked embarrassed now, "So you saw me?"
"Of course! Everyone was talking about you earlier, what you did was amazing." He said, embarrassing Izuku even furthur, but nevertheless causing a look of pride to show on his face.
That was when Toshinori coughed, reminding Izuku of why he even came over here. He panicked even more upon noticing the blood that poured out of Toshinori's mouth.
In his panic, Izuku ran over to support the man he had yet to learn the name of. Not really knowing what to do, Izuku just decided to try to help. Looking closer into his body with Mind's Eye, he searched for a specific type of cell. It was the only way Izuku could think of to repair such damaged organs.
The stem cell, it was something Izuku immediately began researching and observing when he found out about them. After all, it was commonly mentioned how they had the potential to cure almost anything. The unique ability to be able to become almost any other cell gave stem cells unlimited potential.
He gathered the cells near the tear in Toshinori's lung, as it was the most important damaged organ. He then forcibly caused the stem cells to imitate the other cells in the lung. He created the rest of the missing lung based off his, admittedly impressive, knowledge of anatomy and physiology. In just a few seconds, the missing part of the lung was completely repaired.
Just as Izuku was about to continue onto the stomach, the man, who was now breathing easily, stopped him. "Wait, I know you're healing me, and I am truly grateful for the fact that you've given me the ability to breathe well again. However, I need to discuss some things with Recovery Girl before you do. Trust me, if everything is good, you can heal me when you get to school next week. After all, no one wants me to get better more than I do."
Izuku, while unsure, still believed that the man wanted to get better. If he had to wait a week before he could help, he would.
"Oh, right. My name is Toshinori Yagi, but you can just call me Yagi, young Midoriya. Now, you should probably get going before your mother starts to worry." Said Toshinori, turning Izuku around with a surprising amount of strength, and pushing him towards the exit of UA.
Now, Izuku had another reason to look forward to the first day of school. After all, his life would only get better with each person he helped.
Here's another chapter!
Next one will probably come out tomorrow.
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